GameOnAUS's Reviews
You can see the framework for a really good game here – with a better tutorial, more transparent mechanics, a better UI with alt-text reminder tips, things like that, a general shine and polish, and so on, this could have been a gem – but right now this feels like a first draft rather than a Director’s Cut.
Teething issues aside, Atomic Heart is a remarkable achievement which I personally think is easily as good as the Bioshock games they so clearly draw inspiration from.
Overall though, Company of Heroes 3 is a step forward for the series. The tactical map is a great addition to things and the ‘living battlefield’ works very well too.
I truly feel this game has opened the door for some incredible story telling in this world, and I look forward to the future of gaming in the Wizarding World.
If you are searching for an authentic Grand Strategy experience with a Victorian flavour, then Victoria 3 has a lot to offer, but I felt it was still a flawed experience which needs some more polishing and fine-tuning.
Although the outdated visuals, weird bugs, and technical mishaps do set the game back a bit, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake is still an enjoyable but basic 3D platforming experience. It may not reinvent the wheel, and it feels like a game made during the PS2 era, but what it lacks in creativity is somewhat made up for by its solid platforming gameplay, humorous writing, and lovable cast of characters.
There’s a lot of potential here, but I think this game is missing something and didn’t provide the reward or payoff I was hoping for, despite its promising premise.
Pentiment isn’t going to be for everyone, but if you have patience for it and can appreciate what it’s trying to do (and I certainly did), it’s a rewarding and enlightening experience which I’m very glad I’ve had the ability to play and enjoy.
God of War Ragnarok is a captivating and engrossing adventure that builds itself up from the sturdy foundations of its predecessor, creating something truly spectacular in the process.
It’s not an exaggeration to say Mario + Rabbids: Sparks Of Hope has given me a reason to play my Nintendo Switch for the first time in months – it’s an excellent game, well crafted, and a lot of fun. This game sparks joy and is a very highly recommended addition to your Nintendo Switch library.
I found the game to be a frustrating, unenjoyable mess that failed both as an entertaining game and a Lovecraftian Horror experience, and ultimately in my view, Lovecraft’s Untold Stories 2 almost completely misses the mark and is, as a result, best left unplayed in its current form.
With an enviable amount of content across its various modes, a brilliant soundtrack, solid visuals, and an already insanely large player base, Splatoon 3 is a brilliant game I wholeheartedly recommend picking up. If it can fix the issues with its online matchmaking, it can be even better.
In my view, this “remake” – and let’s be frank here, it’s effectively still the same game we’ve seen twice before now – simply does not justify its price tag. Even factoring in the accessibility options which will make the game available to more people, it’s still not OK to be charging a AAA, next-gen premium price for this.
I find myself ambivalent about Saints Row – it’s a well done and necessary reboot with a great setting, fun mechanics, and good writing, but the story was just not paced well and there were the graphical and AI glitches that held the experience back to me.
If you have no patience to wait and hunt slowly this is a game you might want to avoid, but if you are in for a true simulation game in every sense, this would be the game for you.
If you liked Two Point Hospital, Evil Genius 2 or War For The Overworld (or similar games), you’ll enjoy this – just don’t expect to become a permanent student here. This is a worthy sequel and follow-up to Two Point Hospital, but it hasn’t earned itself a High Distinction.
As much as I’ve enjoyed Cartel Tycoon, I still can’t shake the feeling it isn’t quite ready to come out of early access. It’s almost there and there’s a lot of potential for future content, but for now I think this is one that needs a few more features and some additional polishing before being ready to hit the streets.
Broadly, however, Sniper Elite 5 is outstanding – it’s easily the best game in the series and offers a rich, rewarding and replayable adventure which can be as easy or as challenging as you like. The levels are well-crafted and detailed, the payoff when a shot or trap comes together is extremely high, and the ability to play from “the other side” is a welcome feature too.
This isn’t Ghost of Tsushima but it isn’t supposed to be – it’s a different, but enjoyable experience and one well worth experiencing if you’re a Samurai Cinema fan or looking for a new Samurai-themed sword-wielding adventure.
Overall, I couldn’t help but feel Weird West needed to be a proper RPG. The world is there; the setting is there, the atmosphere is there, writing is there, the story is there – but it hasn’t quite come together for me in this form.